Robin van Persie will do well to write Eric Cantona out of ManchesterUnited's history books, but he is going the right way about it.

Twelve goals in 18 games since arriving at United from Arsenal, his latest securing three points in a laboured victory against West Ham, highlight the Dutchman’s pedigree as the latest pretender to Cantona’s crown as the darling of Old Trafford.

A similarly decisive contribution against Manchester City in the derby at the Etihad Stadium in 10 days’ time will accelerate Van Persie’s elevation towards iconic status. With the two Manchester clubs now seemingly pulling clear of the rest with the halfway stage of the season still five games away, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits that the title race is already shaping up to be a purely Mancunian affair.

“We’ve won, we’ve got the three points and we are still ahead in the league,” Ferguson said after Van Persie’s first-minute goal proved enough to beat West Ham. “With Chelsea drawing, it draws us away from them a bit further, but City are right on our tails. It’s going to be a long season.”

On a night when Old Trafford appeared more interested in wallowing in nostalgia for Cantona, two days after the 20th anniversary of his arrival at the club from Leeds, Van Persie gave further evidence of his modern-day status as United’s talisman.

The Stretford End may have led the sugar-coated adulation of Cantona, with songs of praise in honour of the Frenchman, but Van Persie is developing a habit of settling games in the manner of his predecessor.

“We kept Van Persie at bay, kept him quiet virtually all night, but he will score 20 goals for Manchester United this season,” said West Ham manager Sam Allardyce. “He may even go on to score 30 goals for them and, in the end, that is what makes the difference. United have lots of players who can win games. We restricted them to few opportunities, and our goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen had little to do, but United have still won, haven’t they? They have a nasty habit of doing that.”

Despite West Ham’s impressive progress in the top flight since promotion last season, which saw them arrive at Old Trafford sitting in eighth position in the Premier League, Allardyce’s last experience at this stadium was to be on the wrong end of a 7-1 defeat in one of his final games as Blackburn manager in November 2010. So the home side’s breathtaking start would have sparked fears in the West Ham dugout of another long and miserable 90 minutes against Ferguson’s team.

West Ham had barely touched the ball before Van Persie claimed his 12th goal of the season — ending his three-game goal 'drought’ — with just 31 seconds on the clock.

Van Persie, whose presence at United has transformed the team’s attacking output since his £22 million summer arrival, brings more than a predatory instinct to Ferguson’s forward line. His movement, reliability, and goals, ensure that Wayne Rooney no longer shoulders the burden of expectancy. Where Rooney has sometimes struggled to live up to the hype, Van Persie appears to grow with it.

His goal was nothing special, yet they all count and it banished the prospect of United having to chase the game after conceding the first goal once again.

West Ham were simply caught out by the urgency of United’s start, with Allardyce’s defenders back-pedalling as Michael Carrick threaded the ball through to Van Persie, whose left-foot strike deflected off James Collins and into Jaaskelainen’s net. It was the quickest goal in the Premier League this season and the fastest at Old Trafford since Ruud van Nistelrooy netted after 30 seconds against Southampton in December 2001.

West Ham responded well and captain Kevin Nolan almost equalised on 11 minutes when he diverted Matt Taylor’s free-kick into the side-netting. West Ham’s attacks were sporadic, though, with United controlling the game. Their inability to make it count, once they entered the final third, left United vulnerable to conceding on the counter-attack.

West Ham lacked the imagination to create the opportunities to haul themselves level, though, and United, as flat as they were, did enough.

“We had opportunities to finish them off,” Ferguson said. “But West Ham are well organised and powerful, so I’m pleased with the result.”